impassive

[ im-pas-iv ]
See synonyms for: impassiveimpassivelyimpassivenessimpassivity on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. without emotion; apathetic; unmoved.

  2. calm; serene.

  1. unconscious; insensible.

  2. not subject to suffering.

Origin of impassive

1
First recorded in 1660–70; im-2 + passive

Other words for impassive

Other words from impassive

  • im·pas·sive·ly, adverb
  • im·pas·sive·ness, im·pas·siv·i·ty [im-pa-siv-i-tee], /ˌɪm pæˈsɪv ɪ ti/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use impassive in a sentence

  • Tuttle rose lankly, his thin watery eyes staring with fixed impassivity.

    Mountain | Clement Wood
  • The old feeling of family and race gives him an impassivity and a detachment of sacrifice which is beyond my understanding.

    The Wasted Generation | Owen Johnson
  • Something in Julia's handsome impassivity stirred the other to a rage, more becoming had she not been the arch offender.

    The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
  • Vincenzo sat still in the car, a model of patient impassivity, but he turned a hungry eye on his master as he came down the steps.

    Olive in Italy | Moray Dalton
  • My head was whirling, but a graven image might have envied me my impassivity.

    The Firefly Of France | Marion Polk Angellotti

British Dictionary definitions for impassive

impassive

/ (ɪmˈpæsɪv) /


adjective
  1. not revealing or affected by emotion; reserved

  2. calm; serene; imperturbable

  1. rare unconscious or insensible

Derived forms of impassive

  • impassively, adverb
  • impassiveness or impassivity (ˌɪmpæˈsɪvɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012